Costa Rica leverages nuclear science to improve fertilizer use and measure greenhouse gas emissions

Agriculture and land use change contribute to about a quarter of the greenhouse gases (GHGs) that cause global warming. One of those gases, nitrous oxide, when released warms the atmosphere 265 times more than carbon dioxide does. Nitrous oxide is released by different biological processes from nitrogen, a nutrient for plants naturally present in soil and added via chemical and organic fertilizers. Applying excessive amounts of fertilizer leads to the release of harmful GHGs into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change. In Costa Rica, scientists are looking to find the best way to use fertilizers to reduce GHG emissions in rice production, while improving plant productivity and farmers' livelihoods through climate-smart agriculture practices. Together with the IAEA and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), researchers at the country's National Rice Corporation (CONARROZ) and Environmental Pollution Research Centre (CICA) are using isotopic techniques to better understand and establish best practices regarding the use of nitrogen fertilizers in rice plantations.